‘Doesn’t anyone at home know?’

‘At first, I didn’t tell anyone out of shame. Later, I informed Dada. Your Dulha Bhai had come on the day of Dada’s son’s mosolmani. Dada informed Maruf about everything. There was an arbitration meeting on the matter. But he’s like a dog’s tail. He doesn’t listen to anything.’

‘And then?’

‘One day he arrived at my father’s house in his drunken state. I tried hard to conceal that. But can one hide the stench of alcohol? I said a lot of things in anger that day. That must have been about a month back. I said I wouldn’t stay with such a husband. All they have is money, and that’s all they think about. Last night, his nephew came and told me, “Mami, Mama has divorced you!” Tell me what should I do now?’

‘Does anyone else know about the divorce?’

‘No. I couldn’t tell anyone. If Abba hears about it, he’s bound to get a heart attack at his age and die.’

‘Listen, after all, the stench of alcohol is nothing new in your house! Raqib too comes home drunk. I think you’re hiding something. What’s the real reason?’

Fulsura was silent. Reshma gaped at her in curiosity. What other reason could there be? Fulsura sobbed for a while. And then she said, ‘He suspects me! He says I had something going on with Maulana Saheb. He heard from somewhere that Maulana Saheb was carrying on with a girl from the Miya household. Isn’t that you, Rizi? But he thinks it’s me.’

Reshma was astonished. Her eyes wide in disbelief, she exclaimed, ‘What are you saying! Were you, too, up to something?’

Neither of the girls laughed at her joke. Riziya turned grave. She didn’t feel like asking any more questions. Things had gone so far! How amazing! There was talk about Maulana Saheb in another village too. But they had thought that no one knew. How terrible! Riziya was embarrassed and dejected. Fulsura said, ‘Tell me, who can I talk to about this? If I do, then you will be exposed. Maulana Saheb too would be disgraced. I was his student. He was our teacher.’

Reshma asked Fulsura, ‘But why does he suspect you? You could have told him about Rizi. That would have ended the matter.’

‘Jamir didn’t believe me! I spoke a lot about Maulana Saheb after I went to my in-laws’ place. I used to do that to make him stop drinking. But despite that, when he heard from somewhere that a girl from the Miya household…’

Riziya silenced her excitedly. They were in a fix. What was the way out now? Reshma suddenly swore, ‘The fucking son of a bastard! How dare he divorce you! Does that drunkard even know what divorce means? I’ve heard that even Allah’s throne trembles at it. Allah is ashamed of him. What a terrible thing the bastard’s done! We have to inform people now, Rizi! After all, it’s not simply about romance between them, it’s a religious matter.’

Riziya didn’t say anything. Her head was full of various knotty questions. On the one hand was the fact that word about her had spread in all quarters, and on the other was the matter of Fulsura’s divorce. What could she say? She suddenly rose. She said, ‘No one has to be told now, Bhabi. At least you shouldn’t tell anyone. Not even Dada. I’m off now. However long it takes, be quiet until I return.’

Riziya walked out of the room, leaving them wondering.

Fulsura asked Reshma, ‘Tell me Bhabi, are we really divorced then?’

‘It’s a complicated matter, sister! What can I say? But tell me, what happens when someone drives a car without knowing how to drive?’

‘There’ll be an accident.’

‘That’s it!’

Fulsura didn’t say any more. She didn’t cry either. She sat in silence.

Riziya trembled in rage. She got dressed as soon as she reached home. She put on the borkha. She veiled her face. She only informed her Mami. ‘I’m going out for something important.’

‘Where are you going at evening time?’

‘I’ll tell you later. I won’t be long.’

‘Are you going alone?’

‘No, I’m taking Amina along.’

But she didn’t take Amina along. She first took an autorickshaw, and then a bus. She knew where Fulsura’s in-laws’ house was. She had been there once for the wedding reception. She went there directly. No one in Sadnahati knew about the divorce, but many people in this house knew. When they heard that a woman had arrived from Jamir’s in-laws’ house, a lot of them were surprised. Jamir had divorced Fulsura, her folks had been informed. It was her parents who ought to have come. But no, it was a young woman who had arrived.

Riziya asked for Jamir. She wanted to speak directly to him. Seeing the way she spoke, and the aura she carried, Jamir’s folks didn’t say anything. He was summoned. He appeared dejected. Why was such a wealthy young man looking so stooped? Was it out of guilt? Riziya had expected him to be angry. People did utter ‘talaq’ in anger. Riziya was asked to sit. In the presence of a couple of murubbis, she asked Jamir, ‘Did you divorce Fulsura, I mean your wife?’

Jamir did not reply. He was silent. He nodded in agreement. But Riziya was quite insistent. ‘Why? What was her fault? Didn’t you love her?’

Jamir now replied despondently, ‘I loved her a lot!’

‘Then?’

‘I said “talaq” in anger. Since she had returned to her parents’ house, there was no one to cook for me. So I said in front of the workmen, “So what if your Bhabi doesn’t return? I’m divorcing her.” That’s all I said.’

‘Whether you said it in anger, or out of affection, didn’t you know that uttering “talaq” leads to divorce? If I gave you a razor blade, and you laughingly, or weepingly, slashed your wrist with it, won’t it cut you?’

Jamir now began to weep, much to everyone’s amazement. He kept banging the seat loudly with his fist and said, ‘I said it just like that. I made a mistake. I never imagined it would turn out this way.’

‘But why did it happen?’

Now, Jamir broke down completely. The sight of a grown man crying in this manner was terrible! But Riziya was not moved by that. The moment Jamir paused, she again asked him, ‘Why did you do it, tell me?’

‘I’ll tell you.’

Jamir took his own time. And then he said, ‘Fulsura didn’t love me. I observed that from the very first day she spoke about another man. I didn’t like it. So what if he’s a Maulana Saheb. After all, he is a man. I’ve been consuming haram alcohol since before my marriage. I’m not ashamed to say that now. Perhaps I would have stopped drinking eventually. She mentioned the Maulana Saheb all the time. She used to tell me what an excellent man he was. That he was this and he was that. Does anyone like to hear that every day? Tell me, how can I be like the Maulana Saheb? I used to get angry and drink even more just to spite her. I wanted to show her the kind of person I was, my character. I’m not Maulana Saheb. Look, can you love such a person? Tell me! But she didn’t listen. She never understood. She quarrelled and left for her father’s house.’

Jamir fell silent again. Riziya asked, ‘And then?’

‘After that I heard something, and then I deliberately drank alcohol and went to her house to fetch her. Otherwise, I’m not so low as to go to my father-in-law’s house in a drunken state. But she still didn’t come back with me! She said she doesn’t like living with me! When she said that, I left. What do I lack? And why is she so arrogant?’

‘What did you hear?’

‘That the Maulana Saheb was carrying on with a girl from the Miya household! I heard that from people in Sadnahati itself. They were discussing it in the tea shop. That’s what I told her. But she refused to admit it. That’s why I couldn’t take it any more. As I was telling the workmen all this, I uttered the word “talaq” in anger. My nephew was present there. He went home and told everyone. Now I hear that Fulsura has become impure because of me! But can that happen just by my saying “talaq”?’

Riziya suddenly moved the hijab away from her face and said, ‘Look, I’m Riziya. The girl from the Miya household. I’m the one carrying on with the Maulana Saheb. Not she.’

Jamir’s elder brother and uncle were among the murubbis present there. The girl’s audacity and brazenness left them speechless. She had come all alone, all the way here, to openly admit her love for Maulana Saheb! Jamir’s uncle asked her, ‘So, my dear, have all the elders in your house departed, or what? Why have you come all by yourself?’

Riziya got up. It was Maghrib time now. There was still daylight. She didn’t tarry even for a moment. She had to return as soon as possible. As she made to leave, Jamir said, ‘I didn’t want to leave her. Tell Fulsura that.’

The uncle got annoyed now. Addressing Jamir, he said, ‘Are you making fun of the shariat? Do you think it’s a joke? So you want to set up home again with that wife? But your wife is haram now.’

Poor Jamir was in a fix. He hadn’t been able to sleep all of last night. His uncle’s words angered him. He said, ‘Let’s hear what the haram is about! I’ve been consuming a haram substance all these days. But no one said anything then. I did that day after day. So if my wife is haram now, what of that? I can digest every kind of haram!’

Jamir’s elder brother was standing beside him. Such audacity! He would set up home with a haram wife! He gave him a tight slap.

It wouldn’t do to waste any more time in the uproar and commotion! Riziya left the house.

forty-one

Tahirul was present, as was Maruf. Several other elders of the locality were also there. They had gathered at Rahman’s house. Kalu Miya was very unwell. At his age, he could no longer take any mental stress. He had been worried about his daughter’s marriage. And after what he had just heard, no father could remain in good health. Reshma’s husband, Nazir, had gone to call a doctor. Fulsura was still crying without let-up.